Can we achieve greater business growth in Dominican literature?

After a brief hiatus from writing, and taking advantage of the 2024 Santo Domingo International Book Fair, I’d like to delve into the organizational performance of literary businesses in the Dominican Republic.

It’s a truism that nothing functions efficiently without a solid structure and capable leadership. After much contemplation, I’d like to discuss the opportunities I see in our sector.

In 2007, I encountered a thought-provoking author: Peter Senge. He has long advocated that organizations that truly soar are those that learn continuously. In other words, businesses that are attuned to growth and capitalize on their learning over time are the ones that evolve rapidly. For years, alongside my literary project, CuentaRD, I’ve pondered why Dominican literary businesses grow so slowly and have such weak structures. It seems we’ve been stuck in a state of disorganization.

I believe the answer has become increasingly clear over time: literary businesses here share common weaknesses:

1. Lack of business training
2. Limited confidence in a still-developing market
3. Impatience in waiting for results
4. Deficiencies in organizational development

I believe the most pressing issue is our ability to organize effectively. This seems to be the biggest hurdle for many entrepreneurs in the sector. However, a realization dawned on me a few months ago: if we don’t have a functional market with a stable demand, how can cultural entrepreneurs sustain themselves financially, emotionally, and build secure structures? As my friend and fellow agent, Mary Claudia Perez, aptly stated, “If we know the problem, we know the cure.”

In other words, the reasons for our lack of well-structured businesses and our continued reliance on a service-based model are due to the uncertainty of a market that doesn’t provide guarantees. This is a reality we cannot ignore.

Now, the question is, how can we create stability for entrepreneurs when sustained growth in this market is inherently difficult? Could it be that by understanding the root of the problem, we can find new solutions to empower entrepreneurs?

These theories from great researchers sound intriguing, but I always wonder: How do we apply these ideas to our local context?

It’s challenging for any entrepreneur to succeed in our sector. However, Peter Senge is right: only businesses that learn progress. Those are the ones destined for true success, not those that stagnate.

I’ll go further. Why do businesses like SDQ Lee, Books Worlld, or Cuesta Libros enjoy such success in the Dominican reading market? It’s not merely due to Senge’s theory but because they dared to think differently.

What if the reading market could truly function? What if everything we’ve assumed is a fallacy?

Now, I’ll quote another theory from Jeff Dyers, Hal Gregersen, and Clayton M. Christensen, who posit in their book The Innovator’s DNA one of their fundamental principles: questioning. The exercise would be to question this uncomfortable reality and view it from different perspectives. It might be painful to consider other possibilities when we’ve been complaining for so long, but I also understand how difficult that could be.

Are we really so far from a real market, with a supply and demand that allows for a flow of readers who can support our entrepreneurs financially?

Honestly, we’re not that far off. I’ll leave these questions for us to explore together and seek solutions.

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By Roxanna Marte
Writer and Cultural Promoter
@cuentard